TALMUDIC METHOD
Harry Austryn Wolfson, Crescas' Critique of Aristotle
(Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 1929)
===========================================================================
This publication is available in Acrobat & HTML Format
from the Ohr Somayach Home Page: www.ohr.org.il
===========================================================================
In the Talmudic method of text study, the starting point is the principle
that any text that is deemed worthy of serious study must be assumed to
have been written with such care and precision that every term,expression,
generalization or exception is significant not so much for what it states
as for what it implies. The contents of ideas as well as the diction and
phraseology in which they are clothed are to enter into the reasoning. This
method is characteristic of the Tannaitic interpretation of the Bible from
the earliest times; the belief in the divine origin of the Bible was
sufficient justification for attaching importance to its external forms of
expression. The same method was followed later by the Amoraim in their
interpretation of the Mishnah and by their successors in the interpretation
of the Talmud, and it continued to be applied to the later forms of
rabbinic Literature. Serious students themselves, accustomed to a rigid
form of logical reasoning and to the usage of precise forms of expression,
the Talmudic trained scholars attributed the same quality of precision and
exactness to any authoritative work, be it of divine origin or the product
of the human mind. Their attitude toward the written word of any kind is
like that of the jurist toward the external phrasing of statutes and laws,
and perhaps also, in some respect, like that of the latest kind of
historical and literary criticism which applies the method of psycho-
analysis to the study of texts.
This attitude toward texts had its necessary concomitant in what may again
be called the Talmudic hypothetico-deductive method of text interpretation.
Confronted with a statement on any subject, the Talmudic student will
proceed to raise a series of questions before he satisfies himself of
having understood its full meaning. If the statement is not clear enough,
he will ask, `What does the author intend to say here?' If it is too
obvious, he will again ask, `It is too plain, why then expressly say it?'
If it is a statement of fact or of a concrete instance, he will then ask,
`What underlying principle does it involve?' If it is broad generalization,
he will want to know exactly how much it is to include; and if it is an
exception to a general rule, he will want to know how much it is to
exclude. He will furthermore want to know all the circumstances under which
a certain statement is true, and what qualifications are permissible.
Statements apparently contradictory to each other will be reconciled by the
discovery of some subtle distinction, and statements apparently irrelevant
to each other will be subtly analyzed into their ultimate elements and
shown to contain some common underlying principle. The harmonization of
apparent contradictions and the interlinking of apparent irrelevancies are
two characteristic features of the Talmudic method of text study. And
similarly every other phenomenon about the text becomes a matter of
investigation. Why does the author use one word rather than another? What
need was there for the mentioning of a specific instance as an
illustration? Do certain authorities differ or not? If they do, why do they
differ?
All these are legitimate questions for the Talmudic student of texts. And
any attempt to answer these questions calls for ingenuity and skill, the
power of analysis and association, and the ability to set up hypotheses -
and all these must be bolstered up by a wealth of accurate information and
the use of good judgment. No limitation is set upon any subject; problems
run into one another; they become intricate and interwoven, one throwing
light upon the other. And there is a logic underlying this method of
reasoning. It is the very same kind of logic which underlies any sort of
scientific research, and by which one is enabled to form hypotheses, to
test them and to formulate general laws. The Talmudic student approaches
the study of texts in the same manner as the scientist approaches the study
of nature. Just as the scientist proceeds on the assumption that there is a
uniformity and continuity in nature so the Talmudic student proceeds on the
assumption that there is a uniformity and continuity in human reasoning.
Now this method of text interpretation is sometimes derogatorily referred
to as Talmudic quibbling or pilpul. In truth, it is nothing but the
application of the scientific method to the study of texts.
HTML Design: Michael Treblow
===========================================================================
SUBSCRIBE!
to one of the many weekly "lists" published by Ohr Somayach Institutions:
weekly - Summary of the weekly Torah portion
dafyomi - Rav Mendel Weinbach's insights into the Daf Yomi
ask - The Rabbi answers YOUR questions on Judaism
parasha-qa - Challenging questions on the weekly Torah portion
os-special - All the SPECIAL publications produced by Ohr Somayach
os-alum - "B'Yachad" - the Ohr Somayach Electronic Alumni Newsletter
judaismo - Spanish-Language newsletter on the Parsha & Judaism
month - Seasons of the Moon - The Jewish Year through its months
Ohr Somayach NEVER charges for any of the above lists.
To subscribe, send the message: subscribe {listname} {your full name}
to: listproc@virtual.co.il
===========================================================================
Jewish L EEEEEEEE Prepared by the Jewish Learning Exchange
of
J L E Ohr Somayach International
J L E 22 Shimon Hatzadik Street, POB 18103
J L Exchange Jerusalem 91180, Israel
J L E Tel: 972-2-810315 Fax: 972-2-812890
J J L E Internet: ohr@virtual.co.il
JJJJ Learning EEEEEEEE Web: www.ohr.org.il
===========================================================================
(C) 1996 Ohr Somayach International - All rights reserved.
This publication may be distributed to another person intact without prior
permission. We also encourage you to include this material in other
publications, such as synagogue newsletters. However, we ask that you
contact us beforehand for permission, and then send us a sample issue.